Shoe cleat



J T. RIDDE Sept. 3, 1940.

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Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNl'i'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe cleats and particularly to pliable rubber cleats for use on athletic shoes such as football shoes and the like.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved anchor for the securing studs of cleats made of pliable material; to provide an improved stud for cleats of pliable material; to provide such a device that will efiiciently prevent the cleats from turning on the stud after the stud has been applied to the shoe sole; to provide such a device that will securely hold a cleat of pliable material and yet leave ample material for wear before the stud will become exposed; to provide an improved stud, for cleats" of pliable material, that is of simple and low cost construction and of maximum holding power; and to provide an improved unitary cleat and stud arrangement for cleats of pliable material.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the improved cleat.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improved stud prior to the formation of the securing prongs therefor. Y

Fig. 3 is a similar View of the stud after the stud head has been cut to form the securing prongs, and

Fig. 4 is a similar View of the stud after the prongs such as those shown in Fig. 3, have been turned outwardly to final securing position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the complete attaching means with a modified form of the stud.

As shown in the drawing my invention resides in providing a cleat'of pliable material, such as rubber, having an anchoring stud incorporated therewith as a unitary structure and so arranged as to obviate turning of the cleat on the stud after the stud has been applied to a shoe sole; and also in providing an improved stud, of simple construction, for cleats of pliable material which when incorporated into the cleat will be securely anchored to the same and yet leave ample material for wear in ordinary use.

It is well known to provide cleats with molded in studs having square or hexagonal heads embedded in the body of the cleat, but such arrangements are unsatisfactory in that the usual stud head does not provide a sufficient anchor in cleats made of pliable material, as are now almost always required in order to minimize the possibility of injury to other players in athletic events such as football, such studs rapidly becoming loose in the ordinary severe usage to which the cleats are subjected and allowing the cleats to fall off, and such studs almost invariably turning in the cleat when the latter is applied to a shoe and is being screwed tightly onto the same.

Also it is well known to make the cleats with molded in nuts to receive a stud fastened to and projecting from a shoe sole, but such arrangements are likewise unsatisfactory because the pliable material is of insufficient stiffness to prevent turning of the nut relative to and in the cleat body. 7

With my improved arrangement, however, these difficulties are overcome and cleats of pliable material can be readily made which will not only be of lower manufacturing cost, but also of longer life.

In the form shown the improved cleat body I is molded of a suitable pliable material such as rubber and the improved stud 2 is incorporated integrally with the cleat body during the molding process and in the usual manner so that when removed from the mold the cleat and stud combination is complete and ready for use.

The stud 2 is preformed from a suitable material, preferably malleable metal, and comprises a cylindrical body having a head in the form of an annular peripheral collar 3 intermediate the ends of the cylindrical body and having a threaded shank 4 of reduced diameter extending axially from one end of the body. The collar 3 is surmounted by a crown portion 5 at the end of the body opposite the shank 4 and comprising the anchoring means to hold the stud against both pulling out and turning relative to the cleat I. The collar 3 has also another important purpose that will be hereinafter explained.

The anchoring means formed from the crown 5 comprise a plurality of radially projecting arms or prongs 6, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, are

constructed by splitting, sawing or otherwise dividing the crown portion, in an axial direction, into a plurality of sections or posts 5.l, see Fig, 3, the ends of these sections or posts being sectors of the end of the cylindrical body and the posts themselves extending axially from the collar portion 3 as integral members.

After the posts 5.l are formed they are then bent outwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, by means of a suitable tool or die and the stud is thereby completed.

As shown, the reduced diameter of the shank 4 provides a shoulder l at the shank end of the cylindrical body 2 and when the stud is molded into the cleat I it is so positioned that the shoulder 1 is somewhat below the end of the cleat from which the shank 4 projects, the sides of the cleat cavity in which the stud is housed extending parallel with the stud axis to leave a space or recess between the said sides and the shank beyond the position of the shoulder l. The purpose of this is to provide a space into which the metal end or rolled rim 8 of the rivet-like socket member H in the shoe sole, Fig. 5, Which receives the threaded shank 4 of the stud, may enter for a metal to metal binding contact with the shoulder I when the cleat is applied to a shoe, and also to provide a friction and compression lock between the cleat end and the shoe sole due to the pliable material of the cleat being compressed axially between the shoe sole and the shoulder E. This feature is more particularly described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 290,113 filed August 14, 1939.

The collar 3 also provides a peripheral shoulder 8 on the cylindrical body 2 on the side nearest the shank l and this shoulder serves as an additional member for compressing the sole-engaging end of the resiliently pliable cleat, for preventing the cleat from being drawn on the stud, either during the tightening down process as the cleat is applied to a shoe or during the severe strains arising from normal usage.

In Fig. 5, the sole of the shoe is shown formed of an inner layer of leather ll, and outer layer of leather l2 and an intermediate steel reinforcing plate It. The socket member has a flush rivet head M on its inner end and its outer tubular end a is expanded and rolled back to grip a washer it which is of about the same diameter as the cleat base and which has marginal prongs E5 to prevent it from turning and which is reinforced by an inner washer ii. The modified form of stud here shown has but two prongs 5.2.

Advantages of my improved cleat and stud lie in the fact that resilient pliable materials may thereby be more readily used for the manufacture of suitable cleats; and also in the simplified, cheaper and more durable cleat that results from the improved cleat holding stud.

Further advantages are found in the stud arrangement whereby a maximum amount of cleat material is made available for wear without exposing the stud or its holding devices; and in the cleat construction whereby the cleat is not only securely held on the stud against turning relative thereto or pulling off, but will also be gripped against the shoe sole to which it is applied by combined friction and compression forces consisting of the increased thread friction produced by shoulder to shoulder engagement of the stud and socket member and the resilient pressure of the compressed base portion of the cleat body, thereby preventing the cleat working loose on the shoe and twisting on the stud.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown ond described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims:

I claim:

1. A shoe cleat comprising a body of pliable material, and an integral securing stud having a shank projecting from one end of the cleat body, said securing stud having a body portion of greater cross sectional area than said shank embedded in said cleat body and having a radially projecting arm at the inner end of said body portion, said stud body having its shank end spaced below the said one end of said cleat body and said cleat body having a recess therein surrounding said shank and leading to said stud body.

2. A shoe cleat comprising a body of pliable material and an integral securing stud having a shank projecting axially from one end of the cleat body, said stud having a cylindrical body of greater diameter than said shank and positioned below the said end of said cleat body, said cleat end having a recess therein surrounding said shank and leading to said stud body, and one or more radially projecting arms on the inner end of said stud body embedded in said cleat body.

3. A shoe cleat comprising a body of pliable material and an integral securing stud projecting axially therefrom, said stud comprising a cylindrical body embedded in said cleat body and having a projecting shank of reduced diameter, said cleat body having a recess therein surrounding said shank and leading to said stud body, a peripheral collar on said stud body adjacent the inner end, and a plurality of radially projecting prongs at the inner end of said stud body, said prongs being wholly embedded in said cleat body.

4. A shoe cleat comprising a body of pliable material, a securing stud having a cylindrical body portion wholly embedded within said cleat body and a shank portion of reduced diameter projecting axially outward from one end, said one end of said cleat body having an annular recess surrounding said shank portion and leading to said stud body, a plurality of radially projecting prongs on the inner end of said stud body, and a square shouldered peripheral collar on said stud body adjacent the pronged end thereof.

5. A shoe cleat comprising a securing stud having a cylindrical body, a shank of reduced diameter projecting axially from an end of said body, a square shouldered peripheral collar adjacent the other end of said body, a plurality of radially projecting prongs integrally formed on said other end of said body, and a cleat body of pliable material molded onto and embedding said securing stud body and prongs, said cleat body extending beyond the shank end of said stud body and spacedly surrounding a portion of said shank.

6. A securing stud for molded shoe cleats comprising a body portion, a shank of smaller cross section than said body portion extending axially from one end thereof, and a plurality of radially projecting prongs formed integrally on and extending obliquely from the other end of said body portion.

'7. A securing means for molded cleats comprising a stud having a threaded portion at one end and having the other end sectioned axially and the sectioned end portions turned. outwardly from the stud axis.

8. A securing means for molded cleats comprising a stud having a threaded portion at one end, a plurality of radially projecting prongs integrally formed on the other end, and an intermediate peripheral square shoulder facing in the directionv of said threaded portion.

9. A securing stud for molded cleats comprising a body portion, a shank of smaller cross section than said body portion extending axially from one end thereof, a plurality of radially projecting prongs formed integrally on the other end of said body portion, and a peripheral square 5 (smaller diameter than said body portion extending axially from one end thereof, a plurality of radially projecting prongs formed integrally on the other end of said body portion, and an annular square shouldered collar on said body por- 10 tion intermediate its ends.

11. A securing means for molded cleats comprising a cylindrical body having an integral peripheral square shouldered collar intermediate its ends and a threaded shank of reduced diameter extending axially from one of its ends, the other end of said body being split axially into a plurality of separate prongs, and said prongs being turned divergingly outward. 

